I might be *slightly* biased as someone whose entire business model is white labeling, but.. I really mean it when I say white labeling is the best freaking thing ever.
And you might love white labeling too, if you’re an expert at a specific skill who absolutely adores the work you do, but doesn’t love constantly having to market yourself, network, and chase down leads to secure paying clients.
Whether you’re wondering what the heck white labeling even is or are ready to dip your toes into offering white label business services yourself, this blog post will, hopefully, give you all the answers you’re looking for.
So, what the heck does white labeling mean?
If you pop into Google and search “white labeling,” you’ll find a whole bunch of definitions and articles on white labeling products. But, don’t you worry, because you don’t have to sell products to white label.
White labeling is something service-based business owners can do, too!
White labeling a *business* service is when a service provider (that’s you! And me!) does the work, but another business presents it as its own.
In other words, you handle the creative or technical work, while the client you’ve partnered with:
- Manages the clients
- Collects payment and handles admin tasks
- Markets themselves so they have work to hand off to you!
Depending on the partnership, sometimes the clients you partner with want to be involved in certain aspects of the project…
(For example: as a white label designer, sometimes my clients love designing a home page, but want to be completely hands-off for the development part!)
And sometimes clients are looking to hand over everything to you and just be involved with delivering everything to their client as needed.
Here’s an example of how white labeling works:
Let’s say you’re an SEO specialist. (Yay! Go SEO!)
And an SEO agency lands an SEO audit client, but they’re at max capacity and don’t have the time to take on the project themselves. Instead of turning down the project, they hire you to do the SEO audit.
While the agency handles all client-facing interactions, you’re the one behind the scenes doing the SEO work. And white labeling can happen across all kinds of industries, too.
Also, P.S. white labeling doesn’t have to be your whole business…
AKA, you can white label some services if that feels like a better fit! That way, you can continue to work with clients and as a behind-the-scenes support for other businesses too.
White labeling can be a great way to bring in some extra income and it definitely doesn’t have to be your whole business model. It’s whatever feels most right for you.
Is white labeling illegal?
Short answer: Nope! Although I totally understand why you might be wondering that.
White labeling is 100% legal (unless someone is doing something shady!) and is a common business practice. However, there are a few legal things to keep in mind when you’re white labeling for a client…
- Always, always, always have a contract (for their benefit and yours!)
- If you sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement), you can’t share the work you’re doing/include it in your portfolio
- Make sure you understand who owns the final work (if the business you’re partnering with is presenting it as its own, you won’t have rights over the final work which is totally normal when white labeling!)
- Remember you’re a contractor and not an employee (which can mean you’re following different legal requirements)
(Oh, and by the way, friend, if you want help figuring out what to include in a white labeling contract or how to start offering white labeling services, I made something just for you.)
Is hiring a white label service provider the same as hiring a junior team member?
In fact, hiring a white label service provider isn’t like hiring a junior team member at freaking all. And that’s because of one major difference: white label contractors are typically experts at what they do while junior team members are usually newbies who need a lot of guidance and support.
Some other differences between white label service providers and junior team members are:
- White label contractors: charge higher prices (which makes sense for their expert skill level!), typically have established processes (for the work they do) that are flexible to their client's wishes, and kill it with high-level execution
- Junior team members: charge way lower prices, aren’t expected to have any established processes for anything (because they’re working under you!), and are still learning
Although they’re similar in the way that they both are behind-the-scenes support.
If you’re wondering who the heck can offer white labeling services, here are some examples:
White labeling *isn’t* just for designers—there are so many kinds of services providers that can offer white labeling services, like:
- Copywriters and content writers (for services like website copy, blogs, email marketing, etc.)
- SEO specialists (for stuff like keyword research, audits, content optimization, etc.)
- Web developers (for things like custom coding, Shopify builds, WordPress development, etc.)
- Social media managers (for services like content creation, engagement, analytics, etc.)
- Bookkeepers (for stuff like bookkeeping, tax prep, financial reporting, etc.)
And, of course, that’s just to give a *few* white labeling service examples, but the reality is…
If you’ve got an expert skill, chances are, you can white label it!
What are the benefits of white labeling?
Now for the fun part—why white labeling is the best thing ever. (Besides, you know, a surprise album drop from my girl, T-Swift).
1. Consistent Income *Without* Constant Self-Promotion
Marketing yourself can feel like a full-time job—posting on Instagram, filming reels, showing up on stories, and constantly pitching new clients. With white labeling, you don’t have to do all that. Instead, you get projects handed to you by clients that already have clients.
And the best part? If you do a great freaking job for the clients you partner with, they’ll come back for more! Which means you just need a few great clients yourself to bring in steady income.
(Not to toot my horn but to give you an example, ONE of my design clients has brought me $32,00 in projects over the last two years!)
2. More Time for the Work You Actually Enjoy
If sales calls, reminding clients of deadlines, and explaining basic concepts for the millionth time aren’t your favorite things (hi, it’s me), white labeling is a great way to go because the business you are partnering with usually handles all of that. (And you know, all the marketing too!)
You get to stay behind the scenes, focusing purely on the creative or technical work!
3. Get Paid as an Expert
One of my absolute favorite things about white labeling is that you get to work with other industry pros who understand your worth! Because when you white label, you’re partnering with a business that is looking to outsource to a fellow expert and knows what top-quality work costs.
They’re willing to pay higher prices because they value your expertise (and they’re making money, too because they charge their clients more than they pay you)!
4. All the Flexibility
The best part of having your own business is the freedom to do what you want when you want for who you want… and when you white label your services that’s still true! You get to set your own hours, say yes to as many or as few projects as you’d like, and take time off when you’d like.
It’s a win-win because you have the freedom of being an entrepreneur, but a steadier stream of income because your partnerships are bringing the work right to you.
5. Takes the Pressure off Marketing/Building an Online Presence
With white labeling, you don’t have to be on ALL the social media platforms, spend hours editing reels, and trying to engage with people on Instagram so you can grow your audience and get new clients. (Unless you want to!)
Instead, you have partnerships with industry experts that bring you work so you can choose when and how much you show up.
So, what do you need to know to start offering white label services?
1. Pick Your Skill
You don’t have to be an expert in everything to be a great white label service provider. Start with deciding which skills and services you already feel comfortable offering and begin there!
2. Get Clear on Your Process
Having a clear way of working for yourself and for the businesses hiring you makes everything run more smoothly. Think about how you like to work, how you’ll handle revisions, how you’ll communicate with your clients, and all those important details so you feel cool as a cucumber when you actually get your first white label client.
3. Price Yourself Strategically
It’s important to remember that when you are white labeling, you won’t charge as much as working with a client directly. (And that makes sense because your client is putting in time, money, and effort to get clients for you to do work for!)
You want to make sure to price yourself in a way that allows you to pay yourself well *and* is profitable for the business hiring you. So keep in mind what they’re charging, too!
4. Give Extra Attention to Communication
Once you have white label clients, having clear communication with clients is ridiculously important. You always want to make sure that you’re asking about NDAs, which parts of the project they expect you to handle, if they want you to be on client calls, and more.
There are a million other things I could share (like making sure you have a way for a client to learn more about your services or ways to show your work even when you’ve signed an NDA), but I’ll save that for another time.
Want support with offering white label services?
I got you! In fact, I’ve got a whole white labeling course that will answer all of your questions, like:
- How much should I charge?
- What should go in my contract?
- How do I market my services when I can’t show my work?
- And more!
It’s a five-day course that walks you through everything you need to know step by step—from how to set up your services to pricing, contracts, and systems—so you can start booking white label projects as soon as you’re done.
(Seriously! Past students have! So make sure to check it out!)
TL;DR: is white labeling your services a perfect move for you?
If you love the work you do but not the constant marketing, client management, and sales calls that come with running your own business, offering white label services (or switching your business to a white label model!) might be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.
(Oh and P.S. if you aren’t ready to enroll in the white labeling program, but still want to take a step towards getting started with offering white label services, grab my guide on How to Low-key Market Yourself! It’s free and introvert-friendly!)
